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LED Throwie - Instant Messanger Tube

Introduction: LED Throwie - Instant Messanger Tube

You've got something to say, and you want to stick it on metal and let it be seen with an LED glow. Well, your in luck. Today I'm going to show you how to make LED Throwie - Instant Messenger Tubes to get your message spread in the physical world.

"Led Throwies (An LED throwie is a small LED attached to a coin battery and a rare earth magnet , used for the purpose of creating non-destructive graffiti and light displays.) were devised by James Powderly and Evan Roth working together at the Graffiti Research Lab during a fellowship at Eyebeam OpenLab in 2006. The technology, like everything from the OpenLab, is open source and in the public domain. LED Throwies were designed as a new kind of graffiti art to be used on ferromagnetic surfaces like steel. Part of GRL's original campaign involved distributing throwies to a group of people, who were then encouraged to throw them onto a metal sculpture called Alamo, located at Astor Place, Manhattan, New York City."

Step 1: What You Need!

Here's what your going to need

10mm Super Bright LED (preferably diffused)

CR2032 3V Lithium Batteries

Rare Earth Magnet

Tape

Transparency Film

8.5 x 11 Paper (with your message)

Step 2: Make the LED Throwie

You can follow me here or a number of other resources on the Web. Here is the GRL link to an instructable on how to make a LED Throwie.

Grab your LED (if you don't have a diffused LED you can easily fake it by using some sand paper to scratch the plastic and make it diffused), Battery, Magnet and Tape.

What you want to do is put the battery between the two legs(leads) of the LED. Be sure to have the longer leg on the +(positive) side of the battery. Next. Take a strip of tape and wrap it around the LED leads and battery to secure them together.

Next, take another piece of tape and secure the magnet to one side of the LED and battery.

Voualah- you have made an LED Throwie.

Step 3: Make the Instant Messanger Tube

Here is where the magic happens. Grab a sheet of the Transparency Film and roll it into a tube. I would give it a diameter of 2-3 inches. Use a couple strips of tape to secure the tube. Next grab your sheet of paper with your message and roll it into a tube as well, but just a little smaller than the first. Be sure to roll your paper tube in such a fashion that your message is visible. Now slide the paper (message) tube into the transparency tube till both ends are flush. You now have your Instant Messenger Tube.

Step 4: Spread the Word!!!

All that is left to do is to use the LED throwie to hold up the Message Tube on any metal surface. Turn off the lights and your all set. Your message glows with LED magic.

I don't really like the message on there.....
but as an important enlightenment leader said, "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!"
20 points to whoever can guess who said it.

2008. so long ago... I now know that posting about politics on the internet is like putting your arm into a starving lion's cage after covering it in meat and doing gazelle calls.... someone may come take your arm for it if you're not careful.